Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel doesn't understand video games or Let's Plays. That much was clear when he poked fun at the idea of YouTube Gaming with a skit during his show last week. He simply can't fathom the idea of Let's Plays, or watching others play video games (often providing their own commentary or as an eSport) as a form of entertainment. Of course, his audience ate it up, but the gaming community — well, they had their own reaction.
61,000 "thumbs down" should give you clear indication as to how gamers felt about his spiel. In predictable fashion, the gaming community took to the front, launching a full-scale attack on Kimmel. Seizing the moment, Kimmel responded to the reaction, highlighting a few noteworthy comments from his first video. Check it out below.
Whether it's age or just pure ignorance contributing to Kimmel's opinion on Let's Plays as a form of entertainment, it's clear there's a disconnect with younger audiences. While other late night hosts such as Conan O'Brien have embraced gaming, Kimmel apparently finds it funnier to just write it off and laugh at those who enjoy it. And while I don't think what he said is deserving of some of the comments he received, he must've expected this sort of backlash. When you nonsensically poke fun at something an entire collection of people enjoy — especially a group as passionate as gamers — and then post that video online (the most hostile place in the universe), you're going to elicit a response from that group.
Unfortunately, many of the comments in the overwhelmingly negative response crossed the line. You don't have to watch Jimmy Kimmel; but, to wish cancer upon someone or send death threats to his family, that's crossing the line. If Jimmy Kimmel chooses to poke fun at the gaming masses and miss out on an enormous and lucrative opportunity, that's on him. That's his loss. But a response like this? Well, it just makes the rest of us look bad.
